Fence-post bracket.



Patented Aug; l5, I899.

H. W. TIMMO'NS. FENCE POST BRACKET.

(Application filed. Mar. 17,- 1898.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN W. TIMMONS, OF GROVELAND, INDIANA.

FENCE-POST BRACKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,138, dated August 15, 1899.

Application filed March 17,1898. Serial No. 674,273. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, HERMAN W. TIMMONS, of Groveland, county of Putnam, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Fence-Post Bracket; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which like figures refer to like parts.

This invention relates to a bracket for supporting the wires in a wire fence.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple economical bracket that will loosely support the wires and permit them to freely contract or expand, also to adjust the bearing of the wires on the brackets where the ground is somewhat irregular.

Another object is, along with simplicity, to have a bracket that is easily put in place and secured and is very strong and durable.

The full nature of my invention will more fully appear from the accompanying drawings and the description and claims following.

In the drawings, Figure I is a perspective of a wire fence, showing my post-brackets supporting the wires. Fig. II is a side elevation of a post with some of my brackets in various positions to illustrate the manner of attaching and using them. Fig. III is a plan view of a bracket-wire with the nail removed.

In detail the wires 1 are supported on the fence-posts 2 by the brackets which I have invented.

The bracket in its preferable form and arrangement comprises a nail 3 and a wire 4, which forms the body of the bracket. The wire 4. has a coil at one end to receive the nail. This may consist of but one coil; but the better construction by far is the formation of a series of coils 5, so that the coiled end of the wire 4 will be held out at a sufficient distance from the post to hold the fencewire loosely. It is common in constructing wire fences to secure the wires only to end posts and to permit them to have free movement longitudinally through the supportingbrackets. From the coiled end the wire 4 extends for some distance in a straight line and then bends at a rather sharp angle at 6 toward the post when put in place, thus forming the leg or portion 7, whose length is sub stantially the same as the series of coils 5,

and the two are substantially parallel, thus forming practically two legs for the bracket. The leg. or portion 7 is at the point 8, where it would engage the post, bent again to form what may be called the foot 9. This portion 9 when the bracket is secured to the post therefore extends substantially parallel with and lies directly against the face of the post. At

. 10 the wire is again bent at a rather sharp angle to form the sharpened prong ll, whereby such end of the bracket may be secured to the post. In using this device the nail and wire 4 are preferably fastened together, as shown in Fig. II; but they may be used sepa rately by driving the nail through the nailhole 12, as seen in Fig. III, into the post.

In constructing a fence of this kind the posts are first set, and then the wires are secured at each end to the two big end posts at each end of the entire fence and are stretched taut. Then the fence-builder with a suitable gage proceeds to mark on the posts the places where brackets are to be secured. Then the brackets which are shown herein are driven in only partially, as seen in the 11pper and lower ends of Fig. II. In such position the wire portion of the bracket can be rotated on the nail so as to support the fencewire either above or below the nail, as may be desired. The strands of wire are then picked up and placed in the open brackets. If any post be on account of the irregularity of the ground set somewhat lower than the posts on either side, so that the draw of .the fence-wire would be upward, the bracket is turned down into the position shown at the lower end of Fig. II and the fence-wire placed below the nail, as is more fully shown in the left-hand post of Fig. I. If, however, the pull of the wire because of the position of the post would be downward, as with the right-hand post in Fig. I, the wire of the bracket is turned upward into the position shown at the upper end of Fig. II and the fence-wire is dropped in the bracket on the nail. Then the nail is driven into the post and also the prong 11. This latter is easily done because of the flat foot portion 9, which enables the prong to be hammered. With the ability to thus turn the bracket on the nail the pull of the wire can always be brought against the nail or stronger end of the bracket rather than against the other or weaker end thereof. Because of the position of the foot 9 of the bracket directly against or partially embedded in the surface of the post it tends to hold the leg 7 and the portion 4, as well as the coil of the bracket, as far outward as the head of the nail will permit, so that the foot 9 has the two functions explained. The series of coils 5 not only strengthens the bracket at the point of great resistance, but affords and secures means for holding the nail in the proper position before it is secured and while it is being secured to the post and greatly reinforces the nail to resist the downward or upward pull of the fence-wire, as the case may be.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A fence-post bracket including a wire with a series of coils at one end to form a leg for the bracket and to receive a nail and the other end bent to form a corresponding leg, and means for securing both ends to a post.

2. A fence-post bracket including a nail, a wire coiled several times about the nail to form a leg for the bracket, the other end of the wire being bent to form a corresponding leg and also a foot with a prong at the end for securing it to the post.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of February, 1898.

HERMAN W. TIMMONS.

Witnesses:

V. H. LOCKWOOD, R. D. HAWKINS. 

